WAMC? Good Stats, Low volunteering

[eemacdon]

Hey everyone, I'm new to sdn! Wondering what my chances are with the following profile and if my school list is appropriate or too top heavy:

Residence: New York (upstate/western NY)
Race/Gender: White female

Undergrad: Biology BA with minors in Chemistry and Pharmacology (Honors College Student)
Stats: cGPA 3.93, sGPA 3.90, MCAT 517

Research: 1 full year Honors thesis in pharmacology with strong biochemistry methods to be completed by graduation this may (~400 hours to date)
Previous summer research internship with Forestry Dept/Invasive Spp research (~ 240 hours)
Previous research shadowing during freshman year just to get my foot in the door, anesthesiology/pharmacology (~40 hours)

Shadowing: Participation in a feeder/pipeline program: 120+ hours with three physicians: Neurology, Hospitalist, General Surgery

Volunteering: ~50 hours to date with American Cancer Society Hope Lodge. Duties mostly include making up rooms for guests (housekeeping), checking guests in and out, introducing them to our facility, and arranging guest transportation to treatment.


Extra Curriculars:

3 years as participant on university club softball team, 4th year as President: in charge of budget, fundraising, tryouts, arranging practices, games, travel, all reservations, paying umpires, buying equipment and uniforms, and holding tryouts/running practices (team doesn't have a coach and solely relies on "clubsigners") ~600 hours to date

2 years as a subject area tutor for university tutoring center, 3rd year promoted to "supplemental instructor." In this role I effectively teach freshman biology (two lectures a week, office hours, exam review, etc) ~200+ hours as an supplemental instructor to date .

Short-term (1 week) study abroad to Netherlands to study global health care systems. ~216 hours


School list:

UVM Larner

SUNY UB

U of Rochester

SUNY Upstate

Albert Einstein

Weill Cornell

Quinnipiac

Ohio State

Colorado

Tufts

UMass

George Washington

Dartmouth

Brown

Penn State

UPenn

Rutgers

Pitt

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[Mr.Smile12]

I'll let others with resources provide you feedback about your list, but it's obviously very geographically centered. My question for you is what are you looking for in medical school? You could obviously try to shoot for higher tiered schools if that's of interest, but I don't know if there's a reason why you have this initial list as it stands. How much networking have you done with admissions recruiters and students at the schools of highest interest?

Are you still in that feeder/pipeline program?

On activities: volunteering activities... what did you do at Hope Lodge? I agree that eventually you should get more hours but that may also depend on whether you have a path through a BA/MD track (answering the previous question).

 

[eemacdon]

Thanks for the feedback. My list is definitely skewed Northeast because I'm from New York and attend undergrad in New England. All of my family and close friends are in the area (not that that's what is most important) and I felt like my chances were best with schools I have a geographical connection with-most obviously the SUNYs, Rochester (my home city where I have networked quite a bit and attended programs), and UVM (my undergrad). I'm not opposed to looking in other regions but I'm extremely fortunate to have so many amazing schools in close proximity and thus I'm not sure it would be in my best financial interests to apply to schools more south or west where I have never pictured myself living and don't have any real ties to the area.

Besides location, what I'm considering important at this early stage in the process is:

• the culture of the school. I really want to attend somewhere that I feel is supportive and fosters success and great relationships. This was one of my top priorities in choosing an undergrad school and I'm very pleased with how that turned out. Obviously, MSAR can't really tell you much about this so this factor will be something I'll be paying attention to going forward via networking, interviews, tours, etc.
• cost/average debt: all other things considered, I would prefer to have less debt on my hands at the end of the day. However I realize the relative costs of many schools aren't all that different. I think this is more of a decision to be made after I have (hopefully) received some acceptances.
• programs: at the moment I'm most interested in anesthesiology-as demonstrated by my academic pursuit of pharm.
• prestige: I hope this doesn't reflect poorly on myself but I would like to attend a generally well regarded institution. Not for my own pride, but I'm under the impression that the connections and opportunities to be had at a prestigious institution will help me significantly after medical school.

I appreciate your suggestion of possibly adding higher tiered schools. I came to this thread to get more opinions on this as the advising I've had thus far has been incredibly discouraging and this sentiment has been explicitly expressed by many of my peers as well.

Finally, to answer your question, I haven't done close to any networking with admissions/students apart from UVM and UofR. To be quite honest, I hadn't even received this advice until now and the importance of that progressive step hadn't occurred to me. I'd love to know more about the best ways to go about this.

I am still in the feeder/pipeline program at UVM, and upon completion I am guaranteed an interview.

I have updated my description of the Hope Lodge. I personally believe my work there is valuable and impactful, however there isn't as much direct patient interaction as I had initially anticipated.

Thanks!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thank you for clarifying. Then it sounds like barring any unforeseen circumstances, UVM is at least one of your choices. Obviously if UVM is where you really want to go or at least have one offer to medical school, do your proper interview preparation and stay out of trouble. That said, it sounds like you want to have other options, so start with the AAMC Virtual Fair that just concluded but the booths are still up. You also should access the MSAR and see what other schools might appeal to you and your ultimate career goals. You should also leverage any connections you have with current medical school students (such as through SDN but also through AMSA) to get any insight into the learning environment and student support at the schools you are interested in, including at UVM.

Keep doing work at Hope Lodge. You would be surprised after maybe 100 hours the people you remember among the caregivers.

 

[Faha]

I suggest these schools with your stats and geographical preference:
All 4 SUNYs
Rochester
Albany
New York Medical College
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
Vermont
Boston University
Tufts
Dartmouth
Quinnipiac
Pittsburgh
Case Western
Seton Hall
Penn State
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
George Washington
Try and accumulate 100 hours of clinical volunteering with patient contact before you apply. That is the only weakness in your application.

 

[eemacdon]

I suggest these schools with your stats and geographical preference:
All 4 SUNYs
Rochester
Albany
New York Medical College
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
Vermont
Boston University
Tufts
Dartmouth
Quinnipiac
Pittsburgh
Case Western
Seton Hall
Penn State
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
George Washington
Try and accumulate 100 hours of clinical volunteering with patient contact before you apply. That is the only weakness in your application.

Much appreciated!!